Universal Preschool News

In this section, you'll find editorials, legislation, public policy and trends
on issues relating to preschool, pre-kindergarten, childcare and the push toward
universal preschool education. Particularly of note are articles concerning the
states claim of a compelling interest in compulsory preschool education. Visit
often for the latest preschool news.

Mixed response to toddler plansThere has been a mixed reaction to the government's idea of a national curriculum for babies and toddlers.Under the Childcare Bill, childminders would teach the curriculum to children "from birth" - with some worrying that it might be too prescriptive. The National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations called the proposals "bizarre".
November 9, 2005[More Results from BBC News (UK)]

Playtime, nursery rhymes and progress testsPlans for a national curriculum for babies will only add to pressure on parents, says Alice ThomsonThe blue indicator line shows. "I'm pregnant." It all seems so easy. All you have to do is wait nine months and there's your baby. You can take them home and they are all yours. You can cuddle them, play with them, care for them and enjoy watching them grow. That's what you think. From the moment you inform the state that you are having a baby, there's a third parent in the relationship. It starts the moment that you tell your doctor. October 11, 2005[More Results from Telegraph News (UK)]

Hidden stress of the nursery age· Study finds hormone level soars when daycare starts
· Extra time with parents needed to help calm downToddlers starting at nursery after being at home since birth experience high levels of stress in the first weeks after separating from their mothers, and are still showing
"chronic mild stress" as long as five months after their first day in the new environment, according to a study measuring hormone levels in young children.by Lucy WardSeptember 19, 2005[More Results from Guardian (UK)]

Too much learning damaging children's play, says reportYoung children are being denied the chance to play at being pirates and astronauts because they spend so much time learning to read and write, according to research published today.Role play games such as pretending to be doctors or police officers are vital to help children learn how to make friends and develop their imagination, the University of Plymouth study found. But the pressures of the formal primary school curriculum, such as the drive to teach literacy, mean there is too little time for play, the research said. September 8, 2005[More Results from Guardian (UK)]

Three-year-olds 'face criminal risk test'Children as young as three should be targeted as potential criminals, according to a leaked government report. The Home Office study suggested nursery staff should be trained to spot tots at risk of becoming criminals when they grow up.
The publication said that infants not "under control" by the age of three were four times more likely to be convicted of a criminal offence once they reached maturity, according to a report in the Sunday Times. The 250-page report by the Home Office strategy unit, entitled Crime Reduction Review, was drawn up to identify the most effective ways of cutting crime by 2008.
by Helene MulhollandJune 13, 2005[More Results from Guardian Unlimited (UK)]